It had been only a few days after the twin's act that fooled the entire school when the Ouran Host Club were swept off their feet by adventure once more! The club wasn't expect guests for another few minutes but they were well prepared in advance. This time they were cosplaying as Arabians and the room had rather expensive looking, middle-eastern rugs hung from the walls. Kimi and I were brainstorming some other cosplay ideas in the corner when our rather early and young guest wandered into the abandoned music room. By the looks of him, he looked to be about ten or eleven and still in grade school.
"What's wrong, little boy?" Tamaki asked, even playing up his character for a young boy, "Did you come to my palace in search of something?"
"Are you the king of this place? Well are you?" the kid asked as he approached the club cautiously.
Tamaki spun around in delight as he sang, "Yes! I am king of the Host Club!"
As Kimi and I giggled at Tamaki's antics, the kid said something that shocked the whole club.
"I'm an elementary fifth year: Shiro Takaoji! I want the Host King to take me on as an apprentice!" he announced, pointing a determined finger at Tamaki.
"Is he serious?" Kimi whispered to me, "He looks way too young to be interested in the life of a host!"
"Well I think he knows how to butter Tamaki up," I chuckled, "Just call Tamaki Suoh 'The Host King' a few times and he'll do anything for you!"
That night, Kimi came by my house for a little study buddy time but I soon learned that wasn't the only reason she wanted to come over.
"So I've been thinking Senky-chan," she began to say gleefully, "You haven't done much to show Hikaru that you have a crush on him."
"Don't rub it in." I grumbled miserably as I did a quick check over my math homework.
"But that's why I'm going to suggest something!" she chirped, "Why don't you ask him and his brother if they want to do something sometime?"
"I thought about that but we aren't really into the same thing," I answered, "I mean, those two know a lot about fashion considering their mom while I just throw on a T-shirt or tank top on the weekend and I'm set. I like shooting stuff and they like impressing girls. We're opposites so I'm not sure they'd want to…"
"You'll never know until you try," Kimi reassured, "Besides, they may surprise you and take an interest in sharpshooting. After all, it's not just any rag-tag shooting range! You guys only use the best of guns from what I hear."
"Maybe…" I thought aloud.
Maybe I should ask them if they want to hang out sometime. I thought silently this time. Who knows? It could be a success.
The next day was Shiro's first day of apprenticeship under Tamaki Suoh and I was a little nervous for the kid. From the intimidating Oorori boy to the homosexual twins, there were a lot of strange things that would scare a child like him off. Kimi was enjoying the twin's incestuous act as always and I was off in space as always. Everything seemed to be working out for Shiro until a girl's cry broke the peace of my day dreams.
"Tamaki, you're an idiot!" a girl cried as she dashed from the room.
Tamaki had a pretty shocked look on his face and turned angrily to Shiro who seemed to be the source of the problem. The twins came up to Tamaki and decided to scare the kid a little.
"So how's it going, Boss?" Hikaru jokingly asked, "That's an adorable little apprentice you've got there!"
"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked innocently, "Do you wish you had a brother like Shiro?"
Cue the overplayed, brotherly love scene. I thought sarcastically as the twins did just that.
"Th-there homos and they're brothers! That makes this totally infectious!" Shiro gasped, the twins' plan of freaking the poor thing out succeeding.
"I think what you meant to say was incestuous," Tamaki corrected him.
Then, out of nowhere, Honey glomped the grade school child and started asking him about cake only to get rudely shrugged off.
"Something wrong?" Mori asked, towering above the two midgets and scaring the daylights out of him.
"Hey! A kid like you shouldn't have an older friend like him!" Shiro protested although, believe it or not, Honey and Mori were in the same class.
While Shiro backed away from this new hell he had been dropped in, he backed up into Haruhi.
"Are you alright?" Haruhi asked sweetly, "I know, it's kind of hard getting used to all the wierdos around here. It took me a little while too!"
The kid just stared at Haruhi as if there were a beetle eating her face off. Then he asked, "Are you a cross dresser?"
"Gah! Ok, that's enough! Shiro how about you carry the tea for a little while?" Tamaki barged in nervously, covering up Shiro's blue eyes.
The twins ran up to Haruhi as well and began to try enhancing her manliness. Shiro only removed Tamaki's hand gave them all a glare while Haruhi handed him the tray of pricey teacups.
"Now be careful." She said, "It's pretty heavy."
As if he didn't even care, Shiro took the tray from her, then let it drop to the floor with teacups shattering millions of pieces.
"Haruhi, that's adding onto your debt!" Kyoya called from behind his black notebook.
Haruhi sighed in annoyance; Kyoya was like some kind of heartless tax collector to her!
"Why don't you make the cross dresser do all your stupid chores for you!" Shiro yelled childishly, "I'm not here to carry tea sets, I'm here to learn how to make women happy!"
I was never good with kids and I was never good at handling their bad attitudes. I ran up to him, ready to defend my cross dressing companion.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" I scolded, "You aren't going to make women happy with that attitude!"
"Exactly!" Kimi chimed in, "Put this brat in isolation!"
The Host King nodded as a huge cage was lowered onto the grade school kid.
Wait…isn't this a music room? Why would there be a giant cage? I thought, quite puzzled as to how an animal cage would hide in a music room. Still, it was pretty funny and I couldn't help but start laughing.
"Let me out of here!" he screamed from within the bars, "This is no way to treat your loyal apprentice now let me out!"
"Not until you've learned your lesson." Tamaki began to lecture and it was then that I began to tune out of the whole situation.
"Hey Kimi," I whispered, "Do you think today would be a good day to ask the twins if they want to hang out on the weekend…I mean they may need to cool down a bit after this."
"You overthink thins too much, silly!" Kimi whispered back, "You still have tomorrow and the next day to ask them!"
"Ok…I'm just really nervous. I've never asked a guy out let alone two!" I mumbled, blowing at my bangs, "I wish it was only Hikaru I had to ask but I know he won't go anywhere without his brother…"
Kimi squeezed my hand as if to say, 'you can do it' and we turned back to see what was happening. The hosts were now brainstorming ideas as to what type of host he would be when the floor began to quake yet again.
"Oh come on!" Renge yelled as she emerged from the floor, "Is that all you've got? Sorry to interrupt gentlemen but what's with the lackluster character analysis? I must say, I'm quite disappointed. I thought I taught you better."
Thus, she began to monologue about the 'Shota type' and how it could be broken down into smaller categories. Then, she snatched my up and placed me next to her on the platform.
"C'mon, Senka!" she encouraged, "You know what I'm talking about! I gave you a whole lesson when we finished playing Persona 4 a few days ago!"
"Um…" I wondered out loud, thinking back to Renge's hyperactive lesson on the dating sim game, "Would he be the naughty type?"
"Exactly!" she declared, thrusting a finger at Shiro who was looking more worried than ever before!
"To play up the naughty type…" Renge began to lecture as Shiro's cage was lifted, "You've gotta wear shorts. Check."
"Wait." I said, trying to stop Renge, "What naughty type are we talking about? Like the reckless-naughty type or the player-naughty type?"
It didn't seem like she could hear me because she was too busy teaching Shiro the reckless-naughty type. Personally, I would've gone for the other naughty type but I was only the assistant manager so my say wasn't that important. It didn't take Shiro long to get fed up with Renge's eccentric aura and he quickly fled from the room. I couldn't blame him, the Host Club was a little scary and weird at first glance and he was only in the fifth grade!
"This is so stupid, none of this is ever going to make her happy." He mumbled miserably before he ran.
"Who's 'her'?" Kimi asked but Shiro was long gone by then.
"I can't believe he ditched us because he didn't like the lesson!" Tamaki scoffed, "What a selfish little brat!"
"Most people don't like that kind of lesson, Tamaki," Haruhi said, "And didn't you hear him? He said he was going to run out of time."
"Yeah," Kimi agreed, "I bet it was a girl!"
"Oh yeah. That would make since," I agreed along with them.
Tamaki got a look on his face as if he were making up another crazy plan of his but he didn't get long to plan. The guests were still there and the Host Club had to resume their business. I didn't get the chance to ask the twins about meeting up over the weekend after the club because Tamaki was devising a plan that had something to do with Shiro and I didn't want to stick around for that. The next day, I didn't bother coming the Host Club either because it would be the day their plan would be put into motion and I didn't want to be tangled up in something like that! Even Renge didn't go!
So instead, I spent my afternoon in my basement, shoveling popcorn and playing the little spin off game from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: Link's Crossbow Training. I pressed the B-button rapidly from my crossbow Wii remote. Zombies lumbered towards me on the screen only to get their brains bashed to bits and as I finished off the final boss, my mind began to panic. Tomorrow was the day I would ask the twins out and I wasn't sure if they would agree to come…considering I was planning on taking them to the shooting range. If Hikaru was ever going to like me, he might as well know what the real me likes- books and bullets.
Senka: There you have it! Sorry about the beating around the bush thing but we'll get to the date next chapter!
Honey: Just make sure the twins don't accidentally shoot someone!
Senka: Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on them. Next time: Pistols and Perazzi!